Osmanthus Abs Synth 138 B
Premium Base Ingredient for Perfumery
Osmanthus ABS Synth 138 B is a fragrance base developed by Firmenich (now dsm-Firmenich) to replicate the olfactory signature of Osmanthus fragrans absolute. Composed of lactones, ionones, and damascone derivatives, it offers a fruity-floral profile with honeyed and suede-like nuances. This base provides consistent olfactory performance, color stability, and cost-efficiency across batches, without the variability or animalic facets found in the natural extract.
It serves as a mid-to-base note enhancer in fine fragrance and functional perfumery.
Premium Base Ingredient for Perfumery
Osmanthus ABS Synth 138 B is a fragrance base developed by Firmenich (now dsm-Firmenich) to replicate the olfactory signature of Osmanthus fragrans absolute. Composed of lactones, ionones, and damascone derivatives, it offers a fruity-floral profile with honeyed and suede-like nuances. This base provides consistent olfactory performance, color stability, and cost-efficiency across batches, without the variability or animalic facets found in the natural extract.
It serves as a mid-to-base note enhancer in fine fragrance and functional perfumery.
Premium Base Ingredient for Perfumery
Osmanthus ABS Synth 138 B is a fragrance base developed by Firmenich (now dsm-Firmenich) to replicate the olfactory signature of Osmanthus fragrans absolute. Composed of lactones, ionones, and damascone derivatives, it offers a fruity-floral profile with honeyed and suede-like nuances. This base provides consistent olfactory performance, color stability, and cost-efficiency across batches, without the variability or animalic facets found in the natural extract.
It serves as a mid-to-base note enhancer in fine fragrance and functional perfumery.
Technical Ingredient Overview
🏭 Manufacturer — Firmenich
🔎 Chemical name — Proprietary fragrance base that recreates the odour of Osmanthus fragrans absolute
🧪 Synonyms — Osmanthus ABS Synth; Osmanthus ABS Synth 138 B; Osmanthus Synthetic Absolute
📂 CAS — Mixture (natural absolute = 68917-05-5)
📘 FEMA — None (natural absolute = FEMA 3750)
📝 Odour type — Fruity-floral with creamy suede facets
📈 Odour strength — Heart note; high substantivity
👃🏼 Odour profile — Lush apricot/peach opening, honeyed floral heart, soft suede-leathery dry-down; virtually free of the animalic nuance present in the natural absolute
⚗️ Uses — Fine-fragrance osmanthus accords, fruity-floral bouquets, tea and leather nuances; economical extender or substitute for the natural material
🧴 Appearance — Clear to pale-amber mobile liquid
What is Osmanthus ABS Synth 138 B?
Osmanthus ABS Synth 138 B is a Firmenich captive base composed of lactones, ionones, damascones and other proprietary molecules that collectively reproduce the characteristic apricot-floral scent of Osmanthus fragrans absolute while offering superior colour stability, batch-to-batch reproducibility and a dramatically lower cost (dsm-Firmenich, 2025). Being a blend rather than a single molecule, it is supplied under a mixture CAS and does not carry an individual FEMA number.
Historical Background
Natural absolute. Industrial extraction began in China during the early 1970 s; the absolute yield is about 1 kg from 930 – 3 000 kg of flowers, explaining its high price and limited availability (Arctander, 1960/2017).
Synthetic base. Firmenich introduced the “Absolute Synth” series in the 2000 s to give perfumers access to stable, IFRA-compliant substitutes for scarce naturals. Osmanthus ABS Synth 138 B appeared internally in the early 2010 s (exact launch year undisclosed).
Olfactory Profile
Family & key facets — Fruity-floral (apricot, peach), honeyed white-flower, soft suede.
Volatility & tenacity — Heart/base note; projection similar to the absolute but a markedly longer dry-down on blotter (≈ 210 h).
Comparison with natural material
Top & heart — Brighter apricot and cream; the hay-tea nuance of the absolute is toned down.
Base — Suede-powdery rather than animalic-leather.
Colour — Pale amber versus the deep orange-red of the natural absolute, simplifying colour-matching in finished juice.
Applications in fine fragrance
Works from traces (to brighten fruity accords) up to full replacement of the natural absolute.
Synergistic with γ-undecalactone, β-Ionone, cis-Jasmone and peach lactones to reinforce ripe-fruit nuances.
Favoured in modern tea-floral or soft leather compositions that must remain IFRA-compliant and colour-stable.
Performance in formula
Diffuses well in both alcohol and water-based sprays; dissolves in surfactant bases to ≈ 0.2 % without opacification.
Acts as a mild fixative for top-fruit notes owing to its heavier lactone fraction.
Compatible with most aroma chemicals; excessive animalic or phenolic notes overpower its delicate suede facet.
Industrial & Technical Uses
Beyond fine perfumery, Osmanthus ABS Synth 138 B lends an upscale apricot-floral signature to premium fabric-care, hair-care and air-care fragrances where the cost, batch variability or regulatory constraints of the natural absolute are prohibitive.
Regulatory & Safety Overview
IFRA (51st Amendment) — Natural osmanthus absolute (CAS 68917-05-5) is restricted to 0.07 % in Category 4 (alcohol-based fine fragrance) owing to constituent sensitizers; the synthetic base itself is not individually restricted but must comply via its listed components.
Reference
Arctander, S. (2017). Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin
dsm-Firmenich. (2025). Osmanthus ABS – Product page.
International Fragrance Association (IFRA). (2023). Annex I to the IFRA Standards, 51 st Amendment.
Flavor & Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA). (2025). FEMA GRAS – Osmanthus Absolute (No. 3750).
